With Manohar Parrikar admitted in AIIMS for treatment, the Congress party has reportedly approached the governor in Goa to stake claim to form the government.
#BREAKING | 16 Goa Congress MLAs at Raj Bhawan to stake claim to form the government. Tune in for the latest updates-https://t.co/LGCyJUEBn5
— Republic (@republic) September 17, 2018
The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee had appealed to the governor in Goa on Sunday to give them an opportunity to form a stable government in the state. “The Congress has never hesitated to play the role of a constructive and effective opposition, but we will not hesitate to come forward and take responsibility to form a government. We have already cautioned Honourable Governor Her Excellency Dr Mridula Sinha about a possible ploy by the BJP to fraudulently impose President’s Rule in Goa, through the back door,” the Congress had said in a statement.
In its letter to Governor Mridula Sinha that the government in Goa was not functioning and requested an invitation to form the government in the state. But there hasn’t been a meeting between the governor and them yet. The Congress is currently the single largest party in the state with 16 MLAs while the BJP, with 14 MLAs, has formed a government in the state with its coalition partners, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Goa Forward Party (GFP), who have 3 MLAs each and 3 Independents.
OpIndia.com had earlier speculated that there was a distinct possibility that the BJP government in Goa might collapse should Manohar Parrikar resign as the Chief Minister since their allies had agreed to support the BJP only on the condition that Parrikar is appointed the CM. However, the Congress is itself a divided house with an uninspiring central leadership although it only needs the support of 5 MLAs to form the government in the state. Therefore, it appears unlikely that the fate of Goa will become clear anytime soon.
